Birding bits and pieces

I’ve done a lot of driving around the country recently – I’ve been collecting motorways.  Recently I have ‘got’ M1, M4, M5, M11 and far too much of the M25 as well as glimpses of the M2, M3 and M40 – is there a prize? When you spend a lot of time in a car…

Spring?

It’s a funny spring – but then, they often are. As you know, if you are a regular reader, I’ve seen bee flies and primroses and a swallow three weeks ago at Cheltenham, and I’ve heard plenty of chiffchaffs but it feels like a stuttering spring to me.  I heard a willow warbler last weekend…

Even a dull walk is worth having

Just a few thoughts from a walk around my local patch at Stanwick Lakes in east Northants yesterday morning; not many blackberries on the bushes this year – but lots of apples in the garden a few speckled wood butterflies were almost the only butterflies compared with just under a fortnight ago warblers were very…

A slightly dull report

Yesterday’s blog considered an interesting report by gamekeepers about the state of the countryside and today’s blog is about a slightly dull report by the BTO, RSPB and the JNCC about the state of breeding bird populations in the countryside.  Yesterday’s report was based on a questionnaire survey whereas this one is based on tens…